Dark Superman
by Mors101
Summary: A new vigilante appears and challenges the Titans' basic assumptions. He eyes Beast Boy as most willing to believe him and become the Dark Superman.
1. Prolouge

Prologue:

Curled in the corner of a jail cell sat a young man. Perhaps, had he been outside, he would have been called gangly. Tall and skinny, the young man was nursing an arm that looked broken and sported many bruises and cuts. He was, obviously, not a person built for prison—and he wasn't. For he was a hero, he had put many of the current inmates in the prison. His name is Beast Boy.

* * *

First story, I hope you guys hang with me while I try to get the feel for this. Hope it doesn't suck. Needless to say, I do not own the Teen Titans.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Beast Boy was lonely. He hated being lonely. Throughout his life he had faced loneliness: the death of his parents, his leaving the Doom Patrol, now, he was separated from the Titans—he considered them his current family. He missed Robin's leadership, he missed Starfire's buoyancy, he missed his surrogate brother, Cyborg. Then there was Raven. On the surface, there was not much to miss: she bullied, ignored, and belittled him—on a good day. However, he missed trying to get her to smile, to come out of her shell. In short, he missed them all, very, very much.

As he sat in the cell, Beast Boy pondered what had gotten him into the mess that he was in. It all started a few months ago. The first bodies had appeared in the industrial district, home of the worst of the worst of Jump City. They were crooks and felons, people wanted for rape, murder, arson, the whole gamut. Some were shot, some were stabbed, some were strangled, some were bludgeoned, they were killed in almost any way imaginable. While the victims were scum, they were still murdered, so the police investigated. Initially, the Titans had stayed out of the affair. They usually were only involved when metahumans or supervillians committed crimes. However, Beast Boy knew that Robin had kept an eye on the case; his years in Gotham had taught him to be wary of apparently seemingly pointless killings.

After two weeks, there was no abatement in the number of homicides and the police commissioner asked the Titans to aid in the investigation. In addition, the number of killings had forced many criminals to consolidate in order to for more protection. These new gangs numbered in the hundreds, and were threatening to spill over from their usual turf of the industrial sector onto the other parts of the city. Tensions where running high, and the commissioner believed that the presence of the Titans would provide a counterweight. In response, Cyborg began to investigate the crime scenes through the Titans computer and Robin began to schedule regular patrols through the area.

Due to the high criminal concentration in the industrial sector, the more conspicuous Titans, Starfire and Cyborg, patrolled during the day. Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy, who could blend in more and avoid the dangers in the night, were given night patrol. All of them were not allowed to engage criminals if possible. Of course, they could not avoid a call for help, and there were many in the industrial sector. If they saw, the killer, they were to call for backup immediately.

Beast Boy was the first to see the killer on his twilight patrol. He heard a short scream, and ran into a dark alley. There, he saw a man in a brown trench coat and brown fedora holding a gang banger by the throat. Upon seeing Beast Boy, the trench coated man threw the man against the wall and jumped onto a fire escape and ran up to a roof. After issuing an alarm on his communicator, Beast Boy morphed into a raven and flew onto the roof. Reaching the roof, Beast Boy returned to being human and yelled out "Stop, whoever you are," to the man.

Pausing at the edge of the roof, the killer turned around, causing Beast Boy to gasp—the man wore a mask that gave him the impression of not having a face. "You may call me No Face," the man replied. With that cryptic remark, he jumped off the building. Running to the edge of the building, Beast Boy looked down to see riding on top of a delivery truck. Turning into a hawk, Beast Boy gave chase. However, after turning a corner, Beast Boy saw that No Face had left the truck.

Returning the rooftop after searching the numerous alleys around the area where No Face disappeared, Beast Boy saw the rest of the Titans.

"Where is the perp?" asked Robin.

"I lost him." "So, you wasted our time."

Beast Boy gave Raven a glance. She must have been in the middle of a meditation or a really good book. His buoyant spirit told him that he would be a bit miffed if he was called out in the middle of a video game only to find that his target had gone.

"No," Beast Boy said, "but I got his name—it's No Face."

"No Face? What a dumb name!" said Cyborg.

"Yeah, well, he wears a mask so it doesn't look like he has a face. Maybe he's just really ugly and killing people who look better than him." The rest of the Titans didn't even deign to respond to Beast Boy's bad joke.

"How horrible, who would wish to hide his face?" asked Starfire.

"Well, I'm not sure," answered Robin, "but let's return to the Tower and see if there is anything in the database. Beast Boy, you stay on patrol."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A few days after Beast Boy first identified No Face, the Titans were sitting in the tower. They had matured after their last great adventure in Tokyo. Beast Boy had grown, becoming more gangly and sinewy. In addition, he was no longer quite as annoying as he had been. Time had granted him the ability to be able to tell when a bad joke was very inappropriate. Raven, as well, had grown. She had become more comfortable with her emotions, but still rarely expressed them. Cyborg, while retaining his fun side, had become quite the big brother to all the Titans.

Both Robin and Starfire had changed the least, physically or emotionally. Robin was still a determined leader and ruthless fighter and Starfire still wore her heart on her sleeve and was still and alien warrior. However, their relationship had changed. Upon coming back to Jump, the minutiae of crime fighting had consumed Robin's time. Starfire had tried to understand, and Robin tried to make time, but they, like everyone else, only had so much patience. In addition, there were strains in battle, as each would be torn of a desire to do their duty and to protect each other. So, for the sake of the team and each other, they had agreed to a temporary "hiatus" to their relationship. This was met with general disapproval among the other Titans, who had to suffer with some of the more awkward moments between the two. Today was to provide another one of those moments.

"Robin, why do you not come and partake of breaking of the fast with us?" asked a cheerful Starfire as Robin was beginning to exit the common room with a cup of coffee.

"There is some more research I need to do on this No Face character," came the standard Robin reply.

With a concerned look on her face, Starfire came and put a hand on Robin's shoulder, "You know that it is now good for you to work so hard. Come, take a break." The look on her face showed the obvious concern she had for Robin's well-being.

As Robin looked at Starfire's face, the awkward feeling began to take how in the common room.

"For heaven's sake, y'all, why don't you just get back together," shouted out Cyborg.

"Yeah," added Beast Boy, "it's obvious you two care ridiculously about each other."

Blushing, Robin left the room, as did Starfire. Following Starfire, Raven caught up with her in the hallway. "They have a point," she said, "if you two still care, why not make up?"

"Friend Raven," replied Starfire, "it is not as simple as that. Robin does not want us to be distracted during battle and risk your health and well-being, and I agree with that. In addition, there is the issue of the earthly ritual of dating; there is no time for it."

"Does the latter concern really matter?"

"I am not sure, but I wish it could happen. It mattered more to Robin, I think. He wanted to treat

'his girl' correctly."

"Well," said Raven, "that's Robin, always wanting to do things just right. I'll go talk to him."

"Oh please don't do that!" exclaimed Starfire, "I appreciate your concern, but this is something that we, and we alone, must deal with."

"If that is what you want."

Robin telling the Titans to meet in the conference room over the intercom interrupted their discussion. As soon as they arrived, they were greeted with the face of the police chief looking down on them from the conference screen. "Titans, we have a problem. We have just unearthed another body. However, this is not the worst of it."

"That better not be, we've had at least one of those every day. It's starting to become something of a ritual." Beast Boy quailed under the looks of his teammates and the police chief.

"The industrial sector has become increasing unstable," continued the chief, "Larger and larger gangs are appearing, and it seems that the chaos has encouraged them to spread out. The other citizens are becoming worried."

"We'll step up patrols, but this No Face character is basically a ghost. We just cannot find him, and the industrial sector is as good as a labyrinth," Robin continued, "how bad is it outside of the industrial sector?"

"We have had confirmed gang activity in the business sector, and reports that the organized crime rings, the Russian and Chinese mobs, have begun to organize some of the larger gangs in return for better weaponry. Perhaps you can ask the Batman if there is anything he suggests in dealing with the mob, because it looks like we may have to really try to break up some serious organized crime."

"Not a bad idea, how about the citizenry?" asked Robin.

"Yeah, is there way we can reassure the citizens?" added Cyborg.

"Perhaps a public appearance by one of you to say that you are giving this case your attention, that would go a long way to assure the citizens that there is due diligence given, not just to the No Face threat, but the gang threat."

"That makes sense," said Raven, "I'm sure that we can do it."

"Well, Titans, I hope that we catch this sicko," the chief said as he signed out of the conference.

"Well, we all have something to do. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, you three try to get a public appearance together. Raven, help them put together a coherent speech. I'll be trying to reach Batman and trying to find a pattern for the No Face killing," with that, Robin walked out of the room.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Just be careful," came the gravelly voice form the screen in Robin's research room, "where the mob's concerned, nothing is sacred. Remember what Black Mask did? That is the standard mob MO."

"Right, and this No Face guy?" asked Robin.

"I have nothing on him. I've also fed the killings in my computer, outside of all the victims being crooks, there is nothing—no pattern except that all the murders were in the industrial sector. And Dick…"

"Yes, Bruce?"

"Be careful, this No Face guy appears to be ruthless and aimless. Batman out."

Robin sighed, leaning back in his chair, taking off his mask and rubbing his eyes. The sound of his door sliding open startled him, and he quickly replaced his mask. Turning around, he saw Starfire glide in, "Star, how did the public relations effort go?"

"Well, after Raven called Beast Boy because of his 'ass-nine suggestions', Cyborg and myself managed to put together what we believe will be quite the relations of the public!"

"That's great Star! But, how bad was the Beast Boy/Raven spat?"

"It was pretty bad, but she has seemed a bit off after he lost the No Face."

* * *

The aforementioned Beast Boy was not sitting outside the aforementioned Raven's door. He was mad, and guilty. He was mad because Raven seemed to be unfairly attacking him. Sure, he had made a boneheaded suggestion, but it was a joke. Raven just pounced on that, and things denigrated from there. He said stuff, she said stuff, but he regretted it more. He always seemed to regret it more, and he did not know why. He believed it was because making her mad, truly mad as she was now, was against his overall mission to make her smile, to make her happy. Of all the things in life, he hated seeing her face truly upset. It almost broke his heart to see her pretty face crying or angry. Still, she had to apologize him, right? Why was she riding him so much?

Finally gathering up his courage, Beast Boy finally knocked on Raven's door. "Go away," came the grumpy reply.

"Raven, we need to talk."

"No, we don't."

"Raven, why are you so mad? What I did this morning was nothing unusual, it was even less than usual. What is eating you?"

"Nothing"

"Don't give me that, I've been around you enough to know when you are lying to me. I may not be an empathy, but I can tell that much."

"Fine, Beast Boy, the problem is you. You lose a vicious killer and hastily chase him without backup. This man is DANGEROUS! You don't just go after a guy like this. You wait for backup."

"I appreciate the concern Raven, but I'm not a kid. I can handle myself. I am a Titan after all."

"It is not that, you leap without looking, you act without thinking. That will be the end of you, or one of us. Just think, that is all I ask. It's all that I've asked for a long time now."

"Why Raven, I think that you care for me," Beast Boy said with a smirk on his face, hoping to catch her off guard.

Without missing a beat, Raven responded, "Of course, you are one of the team."

A little crestfallen, Beast Boy said, "Just so you know, I do think. However, I cannot allow a ruthless individual to escape; I cannot allow things to just happen. If I can, I will intervene. But I will not be reckless, that I can promise you."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Fine, as long as you are careful."

"So, are we friends again?"

"Beast Boy, we are always friends," then, gracing him with one of her rare smiles, Raven glided back into her room.

Smiling, Beast Boy left to go to his room. Unbeknownst to him, Raven was also smiling behind her metal door. She did worry about Beast Boy's safety more than the others. It was because, she told herself, Beast Boy did not think things through as much. An assurance he would try is better than she thought she would get. Plus, it was hard to stay angry at the happy, well meaning green changeling. She was still smiling as she returned to her books.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The days leading to the Titans first public message concerning the disturbing crime wave were fraught with more of those waves. Apparently, No Face had struck again, this time, wiping out a whole gang. In addition, mobs had started setting up prostitution rings, drug rings, gambling rings, and protection rackets faster than the cops could get them. Regular Titan foes, such as the Hive Five, Cinderblock, and Overload were becoming the muscle behind the mob, stretching their already thin resources. The tension was getting to the Titans, as arguments would fly out at a moments notice. Even Beast Boy seemed unable to break the tense atmosphere in Titans tower.

The day of the press conference, Raven found the changeling on the roof early in the morning as she went out to meditate. "You're up early," she deadpanned.

"Well, I'm just a bit nervous. I've never liked doing really public stuff."

"You mean like being a superhero," Beast Boy winced slightly at the sarcasm in her voice.

"No, just doing public stuff. I'm green, I shape-shift. Besides Cyborg, I am the least human looking of any of us. But people don't laugh at Cyborg, they just treat him differently, I'm laughed at. I'm stared at. People don't take a tall, skinny, green something seriously. I just wish we didn't have to do this, or be so direct about it." During this whole talk, Beast Boy never looked up. If he had, he would have seen the shock on Raven's face. Beast Boy, the most extroverted of the Titans, was insecure about going out in public. He seemed comfortable enough on the stage in Japan, and the people of Jump City were use to him. This should be Beast Boy at his best, a chance to ham it up in front of the cameras. She sat there a long time, just thinking in shock.

Not hearing any response from Raven, Beast Boy got up and said, "Well, I might as well beat Cyborg to breakfast and win the tofu/meat battle for once. See ya Rae."

Still trying to find words to comfort the shapeshifter, Raven reached out and stopped him. "Whatever happens, however you are treated today. Just remember that I don't think of you as a freak, or something less than human, and neither does anyone else here. We're a team, a family, and you will always be one of us"

Whenever Beast Boy really smiles, Raven thought, a genuine smile, not a prankish smile, it is a really nice smile. It was with that smile that Beast Boy went down to breakfast.

Down in the Titan common room, Robin was making sure that his team looked their best for the press and public. "Where is Star, we need to go soon?" he asked.

"Here I am friend Robin, how do I look?" given that Starfire was going to be the spokesperson, as she was the most vocal and emotional of the team, she had spent some extra time on her look, adding some makeup.

"Star, you look…great," an obviously awed Robin said while Cyborg and Beast Boy gagged in the background.

"When you're done staring," Raven said with the ghost of a smirk on her face, "we should go."

With that, the Titans got in the T-car and went downtown to Jump Square in order to reassure the public that they would protect the city.

"Citizens of Jump City," began the mayor, "here to speak to you on the progress on fighting the recent increase of criminal activity in our city are the Teen Titans."

Robin winced a bit at the name, he really wanted to shorten it. But, there is a benefit to name recognition, perhaps when a new mayor was elected, he could get the person to make them officially just "The Titans."

* * *

"Friends of Jump City," Starfire enthusiastically started her speech, showing that she was the right person to put the public at ease, "on this glorious morning, I come to speak to you of the Bungorfs that mar on city." Her voice rising in what could only be called tones of righteous fury.

To his left on the podium, Robin heard Beast Boy chuckle. He was smiling to himself as well. Sometimes, Star could get a little carried away. He hoped that Cyborg was just as good on camera. The metal man certainly exuded confidence, and was competent during an interview. Starfire could be a bit confused by some questions.

For the most part, Robin thought that Starfire's speech was very well received. Outside of some confusing alien terms, "We will klorfax their snorgas," was especially confusing, and funny, to the Titans. Cyborg got up to take some questions from the press.

"Alright, calm down. I'll take all your questions in good time. You there, in the black suit and tie. Yeah, the one who looks like Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black, you got a question for the Titans?"

The man stood up, and in a slight Russian accent said, "You talk a good game, but what if I told you that we, of the Russian mob, have snipers covering each of you right now? How would you respond? Oh, and don't move."

Shocked, the Titans began to look around. Cyborg, using his advanced telescopic vision, saw that the man was telling the truth. Giving a small nod to Robin to indicate this, he asked the man, "What do you want?"

In the crowd, people were not acting as cool. Some were beginning to panic. "Calm down y'all. The Titans will handle this. Don't make any sudden movements; we don't want to risk civilian casualties."

"He is right," replied the mobster , "any people attempting to leave will be shot."

Besides Cyborg, Robin's face was contorted into a particularly nasty scowl. Both Starfire and Raven's eyes were glowing, and Best Boy's nerves were all on edge as some of his animal instincts began to kick in.

"What do you want?" Raven asked in that deadly, quiet tone of voice that usual meant she intended to do someone some great physical harm.

"For the Titans to leave."

"Good luck!" shouted Beast Boy, "We don't take orders form the mob."

"Then, I wish for the Titans to die." With that, the man raised his hand. "You have only 5 sec…"

The man trailed off. Blood began to dribble from his mouth as he looked down at the hole in his chest. Eventually he fell to his knees and then on his face as the red puddle began to spread from his corpse. Then several things happened at once.

Robin shouted for everyone to get into cover as he pulled the mayor behind the podium. At almost the same instant the snipers opened fire, as well as some mobsters who were hiding in the crowd. Raven was starting her chant when Beast Boy knocked her out of the way, getting grazed in the shoulder as he did so. Cyborg, being half machine, was able to take a few bullet hits in his metal arm in order to provide cover fire. The people who were still alive in the crowd began running and screaming.

Turning to the other Titans, Robin began to give orders, "Cyborg, tell Raven where the snipers are so that she can teleport and take them out. Beast Boy, you and I will try to pick off the shooters in the crowd while Star and Cy evacuate as many people as possible, starting with the mayor. Keep moving, do not stay a target. Got it? Titans GO!"

Starfire picked up the mayor as Raven teleported away. As she began to fly out from behind the podium, and Robin and Beast Boy, in cheetah form, sped out to deal with the gunners in the crowd, Cyborg used his Sonic Cannon to provide some much needed cover. However, as they left cover, they saw another mob gunner go down. Moving quickly, Robin aimed a flying kick at a standing mobster, who, in panic, was just spraying bullets everywhere while Beast Boy leapt on another one. The remaining four gunners where trying to retreat back to an escape vehicle just letting loose with their weapons when another was taken down by a sniper. Robin then threw a flash bomb at the remaining three, allowing him and Beast Boy to move in relatively safely. When they arrived, they found that Raven had encircled the three with her dark energy and disarmed them.

"Raven, what about the snipers?" asked a panting Robin.

"According to Cyborg, there were only five. I managed to capture one, only to have him shot right in front of me. Our friend, No Face, is the other sniper. I would've captured him, but I saw that there were still some gunners on the ground. I figured that your safety, and the safety of the civilians, trumped getting into a battle with him."

Robin scowled, he obviously thought that Raven should have grabbed No Face when she had the chance. "Well, I'm glad you came Rae," cut in Beast Boy before his leader could issue a reprimand, "we were outnumbered, and I would not like to have to face a panicking mobster with a sub machine gun."

Noticing the blood on Beast Boy's shirt, Raven said, "Did you get shot Beast Boy?"

"Yeah, at the start when I knocked you off the podium. But it's only a scratch, having unstable DNA allows one to heal pretty fast, you know?"

"Let me heal it," said Raven as she put her hand on the wound.

"Robin, you should take a look at this," Cyborg's worried call brought the other three Titans back to the ruins of the podium.

"It's a massacre…"Beast Boy's whisper was the only thing that was said, across the ground lay at least eleven dead, victims of the random shooting. This, of course, did not count the mobsters that lay dead on the roofs of buildings or on the ground with their guns still in their hands. Tears were running down Starfire's face while Robin held her, in too much shock to say anything. Men and women had been killed indiscriminately. Most had numerous bullet holes, and blood almost covered the whole area. Most horrifying was the fact that the mobsters had used exploding rounds, resulting in the complete destruction of limbs and faces.

A short scream from their mob prisoners made the Titans look up. Standing over them with a silenced pistol in his hand was No Face.

"Stop!" yelled Robin as the Titans got into a battle pose.

Turning to the Titans, still wearing a brown trenchcoat and fedora and the mask that hid his face, No Face asked "Why?"

The question momentarily stunned the Titans. Crooks usually said "make me" or some other cliché challenge. But the "why" was a different challenge. In a surprisingly clear, deep voice for one with a mask, he seemed to be challenging the basic beliefs of the Titans in that one word.

"After all, am I not just another masked vigilante? These men deserve to die, therefore, I kill them. Is that really so hard to understand?"

"That's what laws are for," interrupted Raven, "that's how we maintain order and sanity."

"But, that's not what life is. Life is a boiling sea of chaos. We just put a tarp over it so that we do not have to see the anarchy. Besides, isn't vigilantism against the law? Titans, we are very similar, if you are willing to be honest with yourself."

To everyone's surprise, it was Beast Boy who spoke up, "We are nothing alike. Sure, we are not exactly legal, but we draw a line. If necessary, we will face our crimes. But, until then, we will do what is necessary in order to stop crime."

No Face turned so that, if he had eyes, he would be looking at Beast Boy. He waiting before speaking, "You're Beast Boy. I have one question for you, why do you need a line? Why do you have to draw it? Who's to stop you from going over it?" With that cryptic remark, he turned a sprinted down an alley.

"Titans GO!" shouted Robin as they started in pursuit of the flapping tails of No Face's trench coat. With Starfire and Raven in the air and Beast Boy, in cheetah form, Robin, and Cyborg on foot, they hoped to corner No Face. No Face ran into an apartment building about a block from Jump Square, with the Titans in hot pursuit. Starfire and Raven landed on the roof, and the boys took the stairs, hoping to squeeze No Face between them. However, when they met in the middle of the building, they had found that No Face had eluded them again. With the aid of the police, they began to sweep each floor of the building, only to find an open window on the 3rd floor from which No Face had obviously jumped out. Frustrated and angry, the five superheroes returned to the Tower.

* * *

A quick word on canon: I tried to stay true to the story where I could, but a story needs to be told, doesn't it? In addition, I'm not completely clear on all the canon. Hopefully, I don't mess with canon too much. Where I had to, sorry to all the purists.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After the debacle in Jump Square, the public situation began to denigrate dangerously. The citizens went from being wary of the Titans to being scared of them. Many newspapers, seeking to gain readership, began to publish stories alleging that the Titans were somehow complicit in the "Jump Square massacre." Superficially, they made a good argument: No Face was a masked vigilante, so were the Titans. Therefore, they were in cahoots. The convenient mob presence, well, the Titans did seem to be omniscient. While nothing more than tabloid speculation, the increasing mob presence all around the city meant that the citizens were more paranoid. In addition, No Face now seemed to be attacking white-collar criminals and corrupt politicians. In order to deflect investigations, the few remaining corrupt elite also started to insinuate that the Titans were to blame for the massacre. The overall effect was to cause the citizenry to begin actively mistrusting the Titans.

Inside Titans' Tower, morale was reaching a new low. No new leads had surfaced on No Face, and the public distrust was causing the police office to lessen cooperation with the Titans. Among the team, spirits were flagging. Even Starfire seemed to be gliding around the tower a little slower. Among the perennially tense, Raven and Robin, spirits were even worse. Raven had already surpassed the number of times she had thrown Beast Boy out of the tower in a week, and even Starfire was having a hard time making Robin relax his scowl. In addition, the Titans were now forced to expand their patrols to almost citywide. In addition, these patrols had become increasingly dangerous, with even regular citizens attacking some Titans. For Robin, the situation was becoming uncomfortably like Gotham.

"I just don't know what to do, Bruce," Robin was in his office consulting Batman again, "I just cannot understand what is going on in the city."

"Well, Dick, we cannot always please everyone. Remember, when I started working against the crime in Gotham, many wanted me to stop. Rocking the boat causes people to panic."

"But we've been doing this for years."

"People panic, that's what they do. I got blamed for the Joker, for some of the worst that the people saw in Gotham. It was bound to happen to you as well."

"But No Face is, at least nominally, a vigilante. He is like us."

"No, he is not. He does not draw a line, you do. Like the criminals we capture, No Face indulges himself. He does not draw a line in what he does."

"I guess, but what about the public?"

"You know how I consider public relations."

"I guess, well, we'll just handle it as well as we can on our end. I don't suppose any help is forthcoming."

"Right, it is summer, and it just seems to draw out the criminals."

"At least some things haven't changed," Robin replied with a wry smile.

"Some things aren't funny, Batman out."

"Yo Robin, come out and get your butt whipped at some Mega Racer!" Robin turned and began to stalk towards the door.

"You know Cy, now is not really the time…" he began before being unceremoniously interrupted by the mechanical man.

"Look, everyone's been down. So me and Beast Boy believe that there needs to be some entertainment. We've ordered pizza, we've got video games, and we've got movies. Tonight, we are going to forget!"

"Yes, Robin," called out Starfire as she turned the corner in the hall, "let us forget all this unpleasantness. Beast Boy shall return from patrol in a few hours, and then we can have a party."

Seeing how cheerful Starfire was, Robin finally relented. "But what about Raven?"

"Well, we figure that nothing could be better for her than tossing Beast Boy out a window again," replied Cyborg with a smile, "besides, he does seem to be a glutton for her punishment." With that, the three teens walked away, smiling for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Beast Boy entered the Tower with a groan. Patrolling was especially hard on him. He was a green animal, and unlike the other Titans, deflecting flying detritus actually hurt him. He was pretty sure that the numerous rocks that the citizens had thrown at him would leave him with some serious bruising for a couple days. Not to mention that he had been shot at a couple of time. Being a green anything usually made you stick out from the crowd.

However, when he entered, he was immediately accosted by a smiling Cyborg. "Yo, BB! We're having a party tonight! We just need to get Raven to join. So, ya up for the job?"

At the mention of a party, the changeling's face lit up. "Sure, she can't be any worse than flying above a crowd of rock throwing tools."

Cyborg hated the fact that his friend took so much abuse. Sure people acted oddly around him, but they did that, to some degree, around all the Titans. However, it had gotten worse. People didn't throw rocks at him because he scared them. In addition, it's not like getting hit in a metal arm by a pebble hurt a lot. "Yeah, well, one day they are going to regret doing this to us. I'm sure when it all settles down, feelings will return to normal."

"I hope you're right. I'll go get Raven."

* * *

Surprisingly, Beast Boy was not thrown out a window and even more surprisingly, Raven came down to the party. In their own way, each Titan had a lot of fun. Cyborg won the video game tournament, of course. Starfire was able to cheer up Robin while Raven just mocked the general proceedings in the corner. In addition, they managed to get the recently released sequel to "Wicked Scary," with Raven admitting when she was scared.

Around 11 at night, the party ended. Cyborg went to recharge, while Robin and Starfire went to bed. Raven went to make herself a cup of herbal tea. To her surprise, she saw Beast Boy start to make himself an ice pack.

"What do you need that for?"

"Well, Raven," replied Beast Boy with a chuckle, "rocks do break bones. Fortunately, I think that I avoided those breaks."

"Someone threw rocks at you? Who?" Raven replied with her deathly monotone.

"Who do you think? Don't the crowds chuck rocks at you? And don't people take a few potshots at you as well?"

"Every once in a while, but they stop pretty quickly. But it sounds like you were attacked!"

"Calm down Rae, I'm alright," spoke Beast Boy, "I heal quickly, I'm just a little sore. Besides, it could be worse."

"Aren't you mad? I know I'd be furious."

"Of course I am, the people are just being ungrateful bastards right now. Really what hurts the most is how vicious they are. 'Green freak,' 'No Face patsy,' 'moron'—it gets hard to take." He sighed as he put the ice pack against a particularly sore spot on his chest.

"Let me look at that," said Raven, "remember what I said about the Beast?"

"Yeah," said Beast Boy as he lifted his shirt showing a large, ugly discoloration on his side, "self-control is what makes me human."

"Don't forget that," said Raven as she healed the bruising in his side, "that's the difference between being a hero and a villain. Not embracing the anger, the Beast, is how we maintain our humanity. Trust me, as a half-demon, I know."

"Thanks Raven. You know, it is harder to control what's inside me than people think. But, I think you do understand. You know what that means? You're learning to show sympathy and pity."

"Don't get so excited, I have yet to make a joke."

"I'm pretty sure that you just did," Beast Boy said with a smile. Raven just rolled her eyes and went to her room to meditate.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A few days later, tensions had increased exponentially in the city. For every mob attempt that the Titans foiled, 10 more were successful. In addition, No Face was becoming more rampant. Because of the common ways in which he dealt with his victims, it was hard to differentiate between which people were victims of the mob and which were killed by No Face. This gave him an aura of omnipresence. The city was on the verge of panic. Already, the chief of police was forced to resign, and a less pro-Titan one was put in charge. In addition, the mayor was constantly feeling the pressure to faze the Titans out of all city deals, and the District Attorney was feeling the pressure to investigate the Titans. As a sign of the times, Robin had suspended all patrols, as even Raven was almost attacked by a mob of angry citizens and Starfire was almost shot out of the sky in a mafia controlled neighborhood.

Things came to a head on a sunny summer day. The embattled mayor was set to make a public defense of his policies on the steps of city hall. However, there were expected to be many protests, as well as the chance of an assassination attempt by the mob and mafia. The riot police had been called out. However, the mayor had asked for the Titans to help.

"But Robin, my ass is on the line because of my defense of you guys. If you are there, perhaps it will increase some goodwill, heaven knows you guys need it."

"Look, my team is constantly being attacked, our presence will exacerbate the problem," replied Robin.

"In addition, mayor, we are trained for crowd control," added Raven.

"That's why we have the cops. Look, if No Face shows up again, I want all hands on deck to finally stop the bastard."

"I say we do it," the team looked at surprise at Beast Boy, who usually received more of the jumpy city's ire, "if we can handle this, if we prevent what happened a few weeks ago, then our image may turn around. In addition, a show of force will usually stop violence. I doubt that most sane people will attack the full Titan strength."

"But Beast Boy, what about organized crime factions? They'll attack us," pointed out Cyborg.

"Yeah, but we will contain the normal citizens. Isn't that something?"

"Friend Beast Boy has a point. In addition, we will be freer to deal with snipers," said Starfire.

"Well, mayor, if we can get cooperation with the police, than we will do it," finished Robin.

"Sounds good, I'm sure the chief of police will be more than willing to work with you," thanked the mayor.

Two days later, the Titans were in the conference room again dealing with a less than cooperative chief of police.

"You kids just stay out of the way, we have procedures for that, and we don't want them messed up by amateurs."

"We are not amateurs," interjected Starfire.

"Well, you certainly looked it at Jump Square," countered the chief.

"Look, chief, my team will be behind your lines. We'll also tell you if we detect snipers," said Robin.

"Yeah, and how will you differentiate between my guys and the enemy? I'm doing this for the mayor, but I don't like it. You guys are outside the law, and I don't like it."

"We may be, but we have boundaries, and we will not cross them like No Face does," Raven intoned from the corner.

"Yeah, but it only takes one time, doesn't it. If something happens, if you believe that it is better for everyone to do that one thing, who's to stop you? I don't like it."

"Well, chief, we are all entitled to our opinions, but we are on the same side," said Robin.

"Yeah, for now," with that, the chief left the conversation.

"Well, that could've been worse," said Beast Boy.

"He doesn't trust us! How long has he been here? We aren't the Justice League, we know the lines, and we would never cross them," said an obviously agitated Cyborg, "he basically accused us of being ticking time bombs of crime."

"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that the he doesn't trust us. We're going to have to earn his trust. If that means following his rules to the letter, than so be it," answered Raven.

"Robin, how are we going to handle it?" asked Starfire.

"Raven is right, we get his orders and follow them to a tee," answered Robin.

"Fine, but I don't like it," Cyborg made sure that he got in the last word.

* * *

The day of the mayor's public announcement was a nice day. However, the announcement was not nice. The scene around city hall was that of chaos. Outside a police cordon, was a mass of angry citizens. Come were hurling stones, all were hurling insults. When the mayor walked out, surrounded by the Titans, the shouting got even worse. Beast Boy would forever remember the day. The people in the crowd were snarling at them. They were more like animals than humans. The mayor could not be heard above the shouting hordes. There was no way to know if a normal person or a Mafioso or a panicked officer fired the shot, but a shot was fired. The police, in a panic, shot into the crowd. This threw the crowd into a frenzy, with snarls of rage, they jumped the blockades and rushed the police. The Titans tried to pull a dazed mayor who had been hit in the head by a brick.

"Beast Boy, Raven cover us. Cyborg, go ahead and get the T-car, Star carry the mayor and I'll escort you, everyone move."

As Robin was yelling out orders, Beast Boy turned to see the first wave of police being overwhelmed by the angry mob. He saw some guns, and thought that those people were probably the crooks. The other people were armed with clubs, knives, bricks, and whatever else they could get.

"There they are, two of those freaks!"

"It's that green son of a bitch and that psycho bitch!"

"I'll flay the green one and use his hide as a throw rug!"

Eventually, to Beast Boy's sharp senses, the yelling became a continuous roar. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Raven's eyes begin to glow white. "Raven, don't lose control. They're just panicked."

He ran over and jumped on Raven, knocking her to the ground in order to stop her from wiping out the mass of citizens. "Raven, calm down, we don't want to hurt them. Get a status check from Robin while I hold them off" With that, Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and prepared to hold back the rush of humanity coming towards him.

"How much longer, Robin? We can't hold out much longer."

"Give us 3 minutes, Raven, and then get back to the tower," came the reply.

With a burst of energy, Raven rejoined Beast Boy telling him how much longer to hold out. Using her powers, Raven was able to make a black shield, which she used to push back the crowd. Beast Boy was having a lot more trouble. He could not just use his powers to contain the crowd. He had to be careful not to let loose and hurt them. He had already received many cuts and a gunshot wound, as well as taking a literal power. The most he could do was disarm the mob. As he was being pushed backward, he saw No Face out of the corner of his eye standing on the dais.

"Why are you holding back?" No Face said, punctuated by releasing a round of bullets into the charging mob before turning back to Beast Boy. "They will not understand you if you do not use the same tactics they do, and you can, because you see that which they do not. You're powers make you special, unique. You are animal and human, become the perfect synthesis of animalistic instinct and human logic. You are superman. Remember, you draw the line, and you can erase the line." With that, No Face jumped off the dais and ran off.

Turning to Raven, Beast Boy saw her being pushed back. Running over to her, he turned back into a human and asked, "How much more time?"

"One minute," Raven said, the strain evident in her voice. Eventually, the black energy wall began to crack. Beast Boy turned back into a gorilla. Eventually, the wall shatters, throwing Raven back. The crowd began to advancing, ravenous for blood.

"Rape the whore! Show her who owns this city!"

Looking back at Raven, Beast Boy heard No Face's call in his mind. He needed to get Raven out of here. He saw the people coming. With one powerful sweep of his arm, he knocked aside the first people to reach them. He felt slightly sick when he heard the pain-filled groans and could only hope that he had not killed anyone. Turning back to the crowd, he issued a primal roar, causing the remaining horde to stop. Turning into a pterodactyl, he picked up Raven and made his way to Titans Tower, realizing that he had crossed a line and violently attacked citizens.

Standing on the roof of city hall, No Face looked after the two heroes. If he had a face, then a person would have said he would've been smiling.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After the attack on the mayor, Jump City descended into utter chaos. Crowds of armed individuals walked around the city, executing "criminals." Many were just enacted old vengeances or, in the case of criminal gangs, taking over turf. The remaining elements of the police force either set up areas of control or joined the wandering "gangs of justice." In addition, a large group of armed people were assembling across the channel that separated the Titans' island from the mainland.

Inside the tower, things were not much better. The mayor was in the infirmary, but still out. In the common room, the Robin was attacking Beast Boy. "Why did you attack them? What got into you? Is the Beast coming back?"

"Look, I did what I had to do. Raven was down, and there was now way that I could hold them off much longer if I didn't do something drastic. Isn't that right, Raven?" Beast Boy turned to Raven looking for some support.

"Were you in control?" asked Raven, "did you ever lose control?"

"No, I mean, I wasn't the Beast or anything, I knew what I was doing."

"That makes it even worse!" shouted Robin, "He willfully acted the people we swore to protect!"

"Chill Robin, it sounds like BB held back, he only did what was necessary," interrupted Cyborg.

"Yes, friend Beast Boy was protecting Raven, isn't that what you tell us to do?" added Starfire.

"It is true that Beast Boy probably saved my life. And to a degree what happened was my fault,"

"Raven…" interrupted Beast Boy.

"No, let me finish. If I was able to hold the line, you would not have been forced to do what you had to do." At that moment, the warning alarm sounded in the Tower, interrupting Raven. Cyborg ran over to the monitors and checked them, "We have a mob passing checkpoint one in the tunnel."

"Crooks or what?" asked Robin.

"They look like normal people," responded Cyborg.

"Alright, I'll call the police chief and tell him that we're evacuating the tower…"

"WHAT!?!" shouted Starfire, "LEAVE OUR HOME! NEVER!"

"Star, we cannot fight them, we just have to let this blow over," consoled Robin, "it will only be for awhile."

"They're passing the halfway point," Cyborg called out.

"Alright, evacuation plan alpha, keep your communicators on you if we get separated. Cyborg, get the T-sub ready. Chief Marcus, are you there? The Tower is being stormed by a mob."

"Well, Robin," responded the chief, "I was just going to send in some men to arrest you guys myself, so I'll stop the mob at the same time."

"Arrest us!? What for?" asked Robin.

"Well, vigilantes are generally frowned upon in the law. In addition, your friend Beast Boy severely hurt several people, and you kidnapped the mayor."

"That's bullsh…"

"Save it for trial, I got helicopters coming in now."

"Robin, where's Raven?"

"What…I don't know…find her Beast Boy."

"They're at the gate! Hopefully, it will hold for a few minutes"

"Cy, Star with me to the T-sub. Beast Boy, you have less than 5 minutes to get Raven and get to the sub. I suggest that you get out on your own, have Raven teleport you to a safe place. Keep your communicators on you at all times!"

With that, Robin took off to the basement. Without pausing, Beast Boy ran off to Raven's room. Punching in the emergency override, he ran in. "Rae, we've got to go."

"I'm not going," Raven said in a monotone.

"Don't be silly Rae, you have to go."

"This is my home, this place is my sanctuary, I cannot allow them to take it," looking closely, Beast Boy saw that Raven was crying under her hood.

Getting an idea, he ran over to Raven's bureau and picked up her meditation mirror. Pressing it into her hands, he gently pulled down her hood. "You know, Rae, I've lost my home a couple of time. My parents died, I left the Doom Patrol, each time, I was heartbroken. I felt that there would be no other place where I could go. However, I realized that home isn't a place. Home is people that you like being around, home is being around stuff that makes you feel safe. Take your mirror, come with me, and we'll find the others. If we stick together, it will be home."

"But, what if we're separated?"

"Rae, remember when you promised me that you would always view me as a person? I promise you that I will always be with you." Grabbing her hand, he dragged her to his room. Picking his way through the mess on his floor, he went to his desk and pulled out a scrapbook. "Here, Rae, these are all the pictures that I've saved of the team. Take it, I know it's cliché, but when I look at pictures like this when I'm lonely, I remember the good times, and don't feel as lonely anymore. It's kinda a psychological thing."

They were interrupted by yelling as people pounded up the stairs. In addition, they heard helicopters above them.

"Crap, the mob and the police, Rae we gotta get out of here. You got your communicator?"

"Yeah"

"Alright, begin to get the teleport ready. I'll draw off the mob so that you can concentrate."

"You can't leave, just stay here," cried Raven.

"I have to, I'll try to make it back. If I don't, go. I'll get out and get to you guys."

"But you said that you wouldn't leave me. Beast Boy, I mmph," Raven was suddenly silenced by Beast Boy kissing her.

Leaning his forehead against her's, Beast Boy said, "I will always return to you, Raven. I just can't get enough of you. Even if I'm not present, I'm with you, just remember that. Now, get that teleport thingy ready."

Leaving a stunned, blushing Raven, Beast Boy ran out of the room while morphing into a cheetah. Turning with a smile on her face, Raven began her chant: "Azaroth Metrion Zinthos."

After some concentration, Raven got the black energy to form a teleportation hole. Hearing commotion in the hall, she saw the door burst open to reveal Beast Boy in gorilla form holding back the mob. "Beast Boy!" she shouted as she turned to him. At that moment, he turned into an octopus and used a tentacle to push her into the teleportation hole, forcing her to teleport away, leaving him alone with the angry mob. At that moment, the windows in the room where broken as a tear gas was shot into the room, followed by a SWAT team. In the confusion, Beast Boy turned into a human, smashed his communicator to prevent his teammates from being traced, and got on his knees with his hands behind his head, surrendering to the authorities.

In a park that the Titans frequented, Raven emerged clutching her mirror and the scrapbook that Beast Boy had given her. She fell to her knees and began to cry, not caring how much chaos her powers caused. "That idiot, that caring, loving, wonderful idiot," she cried. Eventually, her communicator squawked, as Robin gave her the coordinates to their hideout and she shared the capture of Beast Boy with the team.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The rest of the events were a blur for Beast Boy. The SWAT team knocked him out and took him to the helicopter. When Beast Boy finally came to, he saw the face of the police Chief.

"Well, one is better than nothing. Until the trouble in the city dies down, I think that I'll keep you in Jump City jail. Take him away, boys."

"Wait, don't I get a lawyer? Right to remain silent and all that?"

"Well, if things were normal. In case you haven't noticed, things have gone to hell out there, thanks to the actions of you and your friends! If it was up to me, I'd have you killed right now. Now get him out of here!"

With that, Beast Boy was tranquilized again. When he woke up again, he was sitting in the warden's office. He was covered with a flexible jacket that conformed to whatever from he took, much like the one Mad Mod used to constrain him.

"Look here, Beast Boy," said the gruff man in a suit, "I've armed the guards with full-metal ammunition. If you turn into anything and try to do anything funny, than I've given my men full permission to use deadly force."

"What about all the crooks I've put in here?"

"Well do what we can, but we're kinda short on man power. Going out of our way to protect someone who set up this damn situation in the city is not something I feel like doing."

With that, Beast Boy was unceremoniously dumped into a cell while catcalls sounded throughout the prison at the sigh to of the former hero. Thus began one of the worst weeks of Beast Boy's life. After finding out that Beast Boy could not fight back, he was constantly beaten in the cafeteria, the exercise yard, and the hallways. Paradoxically, the only place he was safe was in the showers. Since the guards never went in there, he could turn into an animal to defend himself, or just hide. Eventually, he just never left his cell. The warden just allowed him to be locked up 24/7, except for meal times. He could not just fight against the mass of prisoners, containing such old enemies as Mammoth, Dr. Light, and Cinderblock, in his human form.

"Man, what did I do to deserve this?" He thought as he came out of his reverie. It was not the first time that he went over what had happened leading up to his present predicament. He constantly thought of the team, especially Raven. What did she think of him? Was that kiss too much? It had been an impulsive thing for him. She had seemed so vulnerable, and he had been there for her. Then and there, he realized that he truly always wanted to be there for her. He realized that he had perhaps always loved her, even if he had not always acknowledged it. But did she love him back? He hoped so, and that hope, in a large part, was what kept him going.

At that moment, an alarm began to blare throughout the jail. Beast Boy looked up to see a group of guards run past. Running to his cell, he yelled out, "What's going on?" His only response was the butt of a gun in the face.

"Get back, dirtbag! Rodriguez, stay here and watch the green guy."

After shaking himself, Beast Boy stood up and asked Rodriguez, "What's going on, man?"

Rodriguez was one of the decent guards. He was not friendly towards Beast Boy by any stretch, after all, he was an inmate, but he would answer him. "Prison riot, we're not sure what happened, but there is a huge commotion in the cafeteria. Now, be quiet, I've got to watch your sorry ass."

After a little while, the alarm was still blaring. Rodriguez's face was very tense, and Beast Boy also looked worried. Suddenly, Rodriquez fell down on his side, and there was a blood puddle forming around his head. Shocked, Beast Boy jumped back into the corner of his cell. He could hear the staccato sound of shoes walking down the concrete hall. Suddenly, a very familiar profile appeared outside the cell.

"You! What are you doing here!" shouted Beast Boy as he morphed into a tiger.

"Calm down, I'm here to take you out," responded No Face, "let's go."

"So, you started the riot?" asked Beast Boy as he returned to human form.

"No, the mafia is attacking the jail. They're going to eliminate their enemies in here, and get more muscle to expand."

"Then let me do something!"

"Do what? You hold back, how do you think that you'll take on the cream of Jump City's rotten crop? Come with me, there are things I want to show you, and then I'll release you to return to your friends."

"You're a criminal!" "I'm not behind bars."

This calm response caused Beast Boy to pause. "Fine, but I want nothing to do with what you do. I'll talk to you, but I won't do anything for you. Just get me out of here."

"We leave, we leave on my terms. Got it? We just leave, no interfering with what is going on now, it isn't time for that. If you attack me, than I will respond in kind, and yes, I am packing the right ammo to take down the worst that you can produce."

"Fine, whatever," Beast Boy's desire to see his team, and Raven, overrode his hate of No Face.

"Then stand back," pointing his gun at the lock, No Face blew up the lock. Opening the door, Beast Boy walked out. "Follow me."

As they walked down the hall, Beast Boy saw blood splatters on the wall. Underneath them, lay some prison guards. The farther down the hall they walked, the more bodies there were, eventually, Beast Boy saw the familiar orange of the prison uniforms mixed in with the khaki guard uniforms. They came to a checkpoint, and the Plexiglas guard unit was covered in blood. A little ways past the checkpoint lay a group of dead people, shot execution style.

"What do you think? Gruesome isn't it, but it's nothing that you haven't seen, am I right?" asked No Face cryptically.

Beast Boy just looked up at him with some confusion. However, he didn't have time to think about it too much, they were approaching a door. Pushing open the door, the two walked into the prison yard which was filled with the bodies of the guards and some inmates. Walking quickly across the yard, the two walked into the city.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Looking down from the hills, the four remaining Titans surveyed Jump City in shock. Over the space of a day, absolute chaos had taken hold. The various criminal factions had grown exponentially stronger, and had now seized whole sections of the city, while the remaining police tried to control ever smaller areas of order. Compounding the problems were gangs of regular people who had joined together for protection and now walked around in groups, armed and ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

"Dude, we must do something!" said Cyborg as he hit a tree in frustration, "We are the Titans."

"But no one wants us, or trusts us," said Robin, "we'd be captured or killed as soon as we entered the city, just like Beast Boy."

"Then what do we do?" asked Starfire, who had been crying nonstop since the Titans left the Tower.

"Rescue Beast Boy," under Raven's usual monotone was a hint of the enormous strain she was feeling, "he's one of us, he's family." The last word was whispered so that the rest of the team had to strain to hear it.

"Raven, we don't even know where to look. They could've taken him anywhere, without his communicator to help us pin point him, then we're flying blind," Robin responded, "Look, I want to save him as much as you do, but what are we to do?"

"Friend Raven is right, even if we don't know for sure what happened to Beast Boy, we must try."

"Yeah, that little grass stain is basically my little brother. Robin, you know we wouldn't leave you out to dry—in fact, we didn't with that Slade thing," Cyborg added.

With a sigh, Robin turned around. "Fine, but I don't want to lose you guys in the process." His face seemed to fall, and he looked much older. "In many ways, this is my fault, I'm the leader and there was probably some stuff that I could've done to avoid this. I just can't loose any more of you guys because of something I didn't do."

Starfire came up and put a hand on his shoulder, "You mustn't blame yourself. No one could've seen this coming. You are a good leader, and I'm sure that you will find a way to bring Beast Boy back and unite us again."

With that, the remaining Teen Titans left the hill to go to a hideout that Cyborg had built after the Brain had tried to eliminate them. They had just never expected to have to use it to hide from the city that they had sworn to protect. Behind them, the city glowed as fires raged.

* * *

"So, where are you taking me?" asked Beast Boy to his silent companion. They were walking down a dark, deserted street about a quarter of a mile from the jail.

"To see humanity in its truest state."

"You really like your riddles, don't you?" frustration was evident in Beast Boy's voice.

"What did they teach you in the Doom Patrol about why you fought? What were you trying to preserve?"

"Well, it was just a fight between good and evil. If we let evil win, then people everywhere would be oppressed, subjugated. We had to protect the weak, and do justice, and all that."

"So, nothing about the law? You were not police, you did not seek to enforce the law, but enforce justice?"

"Yeah, I guess. But what we did was right! We were doing the right thing! The Brain, Immortus, they were going to rule the world. They were evil."

"Yes, but were they abnormal?" came the odd response.

"Abnormal…?" "Is evil abnormal? It's a simple question, and you've seen enough in your life to answer it."

Beast Boy just stayed quiet. The question had thrown him. He had been taught that there were clear lines; that good and evil existed, and that good was the norm. Never had he considered that the opposite was true.

"Perhaps this will help."

Beast Boy's keen ears made out the sounds of human voices in a ramshackle warehouse next to the alley.

"You lying bitch!" This was followed by a slap.

No Face put his finger to the area where his lips would be and motioned Beast Boy to follow him. They made their way to the back of the building and looked in through a broken window. He saw a youngish women, maybe late 20's suspended by her arms in the middle of the warehouse. Her clothes had been ripped, and it was obvious that she had been brutalized. She was bleeding from gashes in her back. Three men and two women of various ages surrounded her.

"You hid him, didn't you? Damn you to hell, you selfish whore!" With that, one of the woman slapped the tied up woman hard.

"Please stop, I did it for my child. He needs to live." The woman was crying, and Beast Boy would've helped her if he hadn't felt a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"You need to see this, if nothing else as a reminder," the hoarse whisper came from over his shoulder.

"So your boy is the problem?" asked one of the men in a dangerously calm voice, "then we'll eliminate the problem." With that, he gestured to one of the woman. She brought out a young boy, bound and blindfolded. He was obviously scared. "You never thought we'd find him, did you." The man then took a crow bar and smashed the boy's head in. The women began to scream, and Beast Boy could no longer stand it. Turning into a tiger, he smashed through the flimsy back wall and entered the building. Jumping on the nearest person, he threw them to the floor, then felt a sharp pain in his chest. The man had stabbed him. Jumping back, he morphed into a gorilla and pulled the knife from his chest.

"They won't go quietly, they are fighting for survival. There is only one way to stop them and protect yourself and the women." The sound of No Face caused the battle to pause. Turning, the man who killed the child threw up his hands.

"Don't kill us!" he shouted.

"You see, Beast Boy, they fear me. They know what I have done, they know what I can do." Walking over to them, he said, "Your fate is in the hands of that green man there."

Beast Boy had never had a person beg, really beg for something from him before. The group of killers came over to him, kneeling and begging in whining, keening voices to spare them. Beast Boy was at once disgusted and shocked: disgusted that people would do something like this just to live, they were like animals: they had degraded themselves, had killed a human, and all just to live; shocked that anyone would sink this low. He was brought back to reality by the sight of the man clutching his leg, "Do you like any of these women? You can have them, or one of us. Anything, just spare us!"

He kicked him away. "No, I don't want anything like that," he said in a dazed voice, "just stop doing what you've been doing. Isn't there any place we can turn them in?" The question was directed at No Face.

"You've seen the state of this area; this is the state of the city. There are no police, there are no laws, there is only power, and those who choose to wield them."

"Kill them, kill the bastards!" The woman hanging by her arms was raving at Beast Boy. "They killed my little boy!"

"Just untie her," said Beast Boy to No Face. He did so, and the woman fell on the floor. "Stay here," Beast Boy ordered the group of cringing people on the floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked the women.

"My baby, my child…" tears were streaking down her face. Suddenly, she picked up a sharp piece of glass on the floor and rushed at the group of people in the corner before Beast Boy could react. "You bastards, I'll kill you all!"

He ran after her, but before he could stop her, she had plunged the piece of glass in the man's neck. She got in another cut before Beast Boy pulled her off, getting splashed with blood as he did so.

"Let me go! He has to pay!"

"Not like this, help me!" But No Face just stood in the corner. The other people just cowered together in the corner. Suddenly, from the corner came a small voice, "Mama, Poppa, I'm hungry."

To his shock, Beast Boy turned to see a little girl sitting there, covered in filth and holding an equally dirty teddy bear. "Go away, Melissa, run!" He saw a woman shout this while being held in the arms of a man. At this, the woman being held by Beast Boy began to fight even more violently.

"You lying pieces of shit! You said she was killed! She was next, not my child! He would've lived another week, I knew you were lying, knew it! He may have survived this."

"Dammit Jane," shouted the other woman, "it doesn't matter. We made an agreement, John and I gave up ours, do you think that was easy? This isn't going away overnight. The gangs have controlled this area for a month now. It's worse than the Narrows at Gotham, what makes you think your child had a chance."

It was then that Beast Boy realized that they were in Jump City's skid row in the industrial sector. It was rumored to be completely mob controlled, but the Titans had never focused on it due their investigations of No Face and maintaining the public trust. Moreover, the police had focused on a containment policy, effectively quarantining the area.

"Wait," Beast Boy shouted, "so you guys have no food, water, or anything?"

"Yeah, but what do you care. You damn Titans only gave a crap about the rich part of the city," responded the woman he held with bitterness. "We've been left to fend for ourselves."

"No food? For a month? But what did you eat…" shocked and horrified, Beast Boy dropped the woman, Jane, as realization dawned on him. "You didn't, that's horrible, they're your children…"

At this, the man in the corner gave a mad laugh, "You do what you need to in order to survive. We stood up to the mob, at first, and paid for it by having everything cut off. We tried to make it up later, but were laughed at. We were on our own, no cops, no heroes, no nothing."

Beast Boy started to tremble, and ran to the other side of the warehouse and threw up. While he was doing this, Jane turned to No Face and said, "This is your fault. You could kill them, the mob bastards. But you didn't, you don't give a damn, do you?"

"Who does?" With that, No Face turned and went over to Beast Boy. "You've seen enough, we have to go." Supporting an obviously shaken Beast Boy, they left the warehouse, leaving a group of broken and defeated people, who had seemed to lost their humanity, in the corner.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Beast Boy and No Face resumed their walk down the deserted streets. Outside of a little sourness in his shoulder, Beast Boy was feeling physically fine from the encounter in the warehouse; emotionally, however, he was shaken. They were normal people, as far as he could tell, but what they had did…

"It is shocking to most normal people to see how humans react stripped of the trappings of society." No Face's voice intruded on Beast Boy's thoughts.

"That's why they need us," responded Beast Boy, "we protect them from the forces that would make them like that."

"Make them like that? Ha! You underestimate the lengths a person will go to survive. That is the true nature of humanity, they don't need to be made to do that, it is natural." No Face's voice reflected the cynicism of that statement. "Don't be so naïve, after all, you lived in the Congo area during the first part of the Congo Civil War. You saw what people were capable of."

"How do you know so much about me?" Beast Boy asked as uncomfortable memories assailed him. It was true, after his parent's died, he had been taken in by a local African bush tribe. However, at the start of the conflict, the rebel forces, looking for child soldiers, had raided his village. He had run into hiding, like he did when his parents went over the waterfall. The rebels had proceeded to ransack the village, killing all the men, raping women, and taking the children to add to their strength. He had returned to the village after the soldiers had left and saw the destruction. The village elder who had taken him in lay hacked to pieces on the floor of his hut, and he remembered at the time wondering who would do something so brutal to an old man.

"I have my ways." No Face once again intruded on Beast Boy's thoughts. "But I'm right, people are savage. Violence and hate are what come naturally. You saw it in Africa, and you saw it in the warehouse, people will do anything if they think it will help them. Parents will ignore love and eat their children, soldiers will destroy a defenseless village, hacking up everyone: man, woman, and child, old and young."

"So? Why did you show me this? I know this," asked Beast Boy.

"Yes, you do, at least. Most don't. However, in action, you are no different from them. The man who knows something and refuses to acknowledge it and the man who doesn't know are the same," No Face continued as he and Beast Boy began to climb a fire escape, "the society that exists today is built on this false belief in man. What you heroes and the police do is the equivalent of building a pretty container around a manure pile. You pretend that everything is ok, that the container is as pretty on the inside as the outside. It disgusts me. You cannot accept the basic human nature. All the talk of 'self-control' and 'basic good nature' disgust me. I am here to wipe that pathetic veneer off your precious society."

They had reached the roof, which gave a decent view of the city. Spreading his arms as if to encompass the city, No Face continued his speech, "Man is an animal, a savage. All that you, and your friends seek to do, is dress him up in pretty clothes, to put lipstick on a pig. You are not Titans, you are the last worshippers at the altar of delusion. The same goes for all of the heroes, and almost all the villains. You cannot accept human nature, it must be good, for if it isn't good, why bother? Even the villains, in their actions, never accept that human nature is, at its root, evil. That is why they seek to control everything; they cannot let things run their natural course because they believe in the sham that the natural course is good. Deep down, they believe that the people almost always will turn back to the heroes."

Turning to Beast Boy, No Face continued, framed by the smoke and glow of the burning city. "I have done what no other villain has, even Slade. I have thrown your city into utter chaos, not by some grand scheme with robots or magic, but by unleashing the beast of human nature. I have made your citizens revert back to their primal instincts. I have made its people face their reality, and the ones who survive will be the ones who are strong enough to handle that reality."

Beast Boy backed up a little and asked, "So why show me this? Do you think that I will join you; that I will become your lackey or something?"

"No, I do not want or need lackey's," No Face answered, "Beast Boy, I have shown you this because I believe that you will accept this, and, like me, embrace the darkness that is latent on you, in humanity. Jump in the dark abyss of human nature, and then you will transcend that nature. I am superman, not because of any superhuman strength, but because I have transcended human laws and morals," as he was saying this, No Face's voice rose in intensity, "you are beast and man, and you have seen, firsthand, the true nature of human nature. Unlike your friends, you regularly fight with your primal nature, you understand it better than them, and you can accept it. Stop closing your eyes to the darkness and embrace it!"

"Your mad!" "But you can't leave me."

Beast Boy stopped short. No Face was mad, but he just couldn't stop himself from listening to him. He once again felt the repulsive fascination with the maniac before him. He truly was looking into the face of darkness, the face of humanity, and it was just blank. "You can't possibly expect to get away with this. The Justice League, the army, everyone will track you down."

"And do what?" interrupted No Face, "No one is immortal, not even a superman. However, that does not mean that I intend for my legacy to die. Those who embrace the heart of darkness must also embrace the fact that death is inevitable, irresistible. But I will not go quietly; I will die, but my legacy will be the questions that will live on long after me. Even after my death, there will be people who ask, 'what caused a whole city to go insane?' They cannot ignore that fact that I tore the mask off human nature, and that fact will torture many people for a long time."

"So, am I a part of your legacy?" asked Beast Boy.

"Perhaps, if you accept what is in you. Beast Boy, every superhero can be a superman. Why do you insist on propping up this sham? Every superhero can transcend the morals of society, they have the ability, they have the power. You are the future, lead a new generation of supermen who have embraced the darkness. Once you do that, once you embrace it and transcend the petty confines of societal law and order, than remake society. I have remade this city to reflect humanity, to reflect the chaos within, I shall do no more because I choose to do no more," pausing, No Face turned to look at the city, "but you can choose to do whatever you want, to rule a city, a country, a continent, a world, with an iron fist. Become the arbiter of life and death for your subjects, make them strong, or, allow the whole world to plunge into the chaos. It doesn't matter, because you are a superman. Do you understand what I'm trying to do for you? I'm trying to make you understand that you no longer have to be part of a team that is subservient to the mundane whims of a façade, you no longer have to be puppets dancing on the strings of society, you can become the director of your own play."

Raising his hands in the air, No Face continued his rant, "Live your life without constraints, for this is it. Death is coming, and it is inevitable, so why should our one life be dictated by a farce? Are we to deny our true nature just because we are told? It is ridiculous, for if we are strong enough to accept the dark reality, then we should be allowed to transcend morality. We should be leading the sheep who believe in the milk of human kindness, not being constrained by their ignorance."

"But why did you kill criminals, don't they ignore the rules of society?" asked Beast Boy.

"The sum I killed aren't worthy to be supermen. They slink around and hide, because they are afraid. They are afraid that the 'law' will get them; they do not recognize that the law is the aberration, not them. However, I killed them because that was the way to bring about chaos. Shooting police bind people closer to the law, it arouses compassion in them and an anger at those who would dare attack their delusion. Shooting criminals, well, people almost welcome that, and it brings them closer to facing their true nature as violent animals. In addition, it had the effect of making the criminals more organized, and thus, more of a threat and distraction to you and the authorities."

With this, No Face turned around and just looked at Beast Boy. "So, now that you know, what will you choose? I have made myself clear. The question is, do you see, and, if you see, what will you do?" With that, No Face turned and walked down the fire escape. Beast Boy just sat on the roof. Shaking his head, he stood up and ran over to the ledge, but No Face was no where to be found. Still in shock at what No Face had said, Beast Boy sank down and considered what he believed.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"So, you said that you think the police were coming right before Beast Boy pushed you into your, umm, teleportation thingy?" asked Cyborg to Raven.

"Yes."

"Well, then if he was captured by the police, we should be able to find it in the police computer," said Cyborg as he hunched over his monitor.

"If he wasn't?" deadpanned Raven.

"We won't consider that an option," came Robin's grim reply from the doorway, "Star and I did some recon from the outskirts of the city, if downtown is even remotely like what we saw, it will be difficult getting anywhere in the city. The streets are crawling with armed gangs and police."

"How is Star holding up?" asked Cyborg, turning to Robin and showing the concern he felt in the human half of his face.

"As well as the rest of us I suppose, she just shows her emotions more. I…I wish that I could be more supportive with her…I just, I don't know."

Raven turned from Cyborg and walked out of the room. As she passed Robin, she put a hand on his shoulder, "It will come to you, sooner or later." With that, she left and headed to the room that she had to share with Starfire due to the smaller quarters of their hideout. Robin headed into the room to help Cyborg in his search.

Raven came to her shared room and walked in. Not surprising, Starfire was asleep on her bed, snoring loudly. The only thing that was off was that her face bore the unmistakable signs of someone who had been crying, a lot, not the usual goofy grin she had when she was asleep. Raven walked over to her bed and reached under the pillow and pulled out the scrapbook that Beast Boy had given her. She took her time looking through the pictures. There were a lot from their time in Tokyo, including her holding a stick of that ridiculous gum and Star and Robin holding hands and looking much happier than they have in a long time. There was also a funny picture of Beast Boy and Cyborg engaged in an eating contest. The next showed the result, as a triumphant Cyborg stood over an obviously stuffed and nauseous Beast Boy. Flipping back a few pages, she saw the triumphant celebration the Titans had when they defeated the Brain, and a few pages past that, the celebration upon the defeat of Trigon. Next to a picture of the team surrounding a weakly smiling Raven was the "lucky" penny that Beast Boy had given her. Smiling a little, Raven turned to a marked page in the back. The title of the page said "My Families." The first showed a smiling blond haired, green eyed young boy with a handsome father and mother. The next was a drawing, done in childish scrawl, of what looked like Beast Boy and an old African man. Then there was a picture of the Doom Patrol, with Beast Boy the only one who was smiling, and finally, there was a picture of the Titans. Turning to the back, there was a picture of Raven smiling. Raven saw something wet fall on the page, reaching up, she felt her cheeks and realized she was crying. Feeling someone touch her shoulder, she turned and saw Starfire standing above her, looking very sad. Giving in to her grief, Raven embraced Starfire and wept.

Walking out, Starfire ran into Robin in the hall. "We have some information," he started, "where's Raven?"

"She is sleeping," said Starfire, "Robin we need to talk."

"Yeah, sure Starfire," they walked over to a corner of the hideout.

"Robin, I was thinking. I do not care that we do not have the time to do regular 'relationship' stuff together, nor will I stop caring especially for you during battle, no matter how long we stay apart. I wish to restart our relationship."

"Star, I just don't know. We cannot risk something right now…"

"Robin," interrupted Starfire as she removed his mask, revealing blue eyes that were surrounded by circles that showed his weariness and stress, "now is the time. We are a family, we care deeply about one another. We have to live, we cannot put our emotions, our feelings, on hold. I love you and I'm pretty sure that you still love me, isn't that enough, even now?"

Robin sighed. Truth be told, he still loved Starfire, but he hated being hurt. If something happened to her, he might go crazy. "On your planet, I believe there is a saying: better to have love and lost than never loved at all." With that, Robin's trepidation left him. He found himself crushing his lips to Starfire's, while she responded enthusiastically.

"All right, y'all. It's about time," Cyborg interrupted the pair, which jumped apart blushing, but smiling. "Now, will someone please get Raven so we can find BB and share the good news?"

* * *

"The jail, so he was captured by the police," said Raven.

"Yeah, I was relieved when I saw that," replied Cyborg, "but there was a thing about there being a riot or attack on the jail. After that, the systems logs are dark. There is no telling what happened, whether BB is still there, or what resistance we'll face."

"Still," said Robin, "it's a start."

"We've been to the jail enough that I can accurately teleport us to the courtyard," said Raven, "then we just need a map to get to Beast Boy."

"Hooray!" exclaimed Starfire, "we shall be together again."

* * *

"What happened?" whispered Robin as soon as they stepped out of the teleport aura. Around them lay the rotting corpses of those who had been destroyed during the prison riot. The gates had been broken, and in many places, the wall was crumpling and graffiti had been sprayed on it.

"Beast Boy, we've got to find him, he can't be…" gasped Raven as she broke into a run towards the ruined main gate.

"Cyborg, go with Raven and take her to where Beast Boy is supposed to be, Star and I will guard out here. Make it quick." Nodding, Cyborg took off after Raven. As the two made their way through the jail, they quickly became aware of the stench of rotting corpses. Raven used her cloak to cover her nose while Cyborg turned off his olfactory senses.

"Raven, wait, I detect a heart beat." Pausing, Cyborg used his shoulder light to scan the area. It alighted on a young boy devouring a piece of a rotten corpse. When the light hit him, he turned around and Raven and Cyborg could see that his eyes were bright with fever. He turned and growled at them, brandishing a rusted knife.

The two almost threw up at the sight, and ran past him. "What the hell is wrong with this city?" asked Cyborg as they rested in a corridor after sprinting past what he would consider to be the most horrible sight he had ever seen.

"This city has gone mad. That kid, his psyche seemed animal, not human," replied Raven, "we have to find Beast Boy, there is no telling what he's going through."

Nodding, the two ran off down the stinking, rotting, smelling prison corridors. In order to keep his mind off what he saw, Cyborg asked Raven, "Why do think there is no one else here? Does the smell keep them away?"

"Probably, even most animals stay away from areas that stink of death. I would not like to deal with the people we meet here."

As soon as Raven said that, Cyborg said, "More heartbeats" "Dammit," Raven cursed under her breath.

Turning the corner, they saw a family huddle in a cell, surrounding a corpse. Turning around upon hearing the footsteps, the dirty group of people huddle together while the father, covered in dirty clothes and with dirty, unkempt, wild hair stood at the cell door, brandishing a knife. Moving quietly and quickly, the two Titans avoided the man's wild, jaundiced eyes and moved on.

"Their eyes," whispered Raven, "they're dead, hollow. These people are just animals, just trying to survive." Eventually, they reached the area where Beast Boy was supposed to be. The only thing they found was the decaying corpse of Rodriquez.

"Beast Boy, where are you?" asked Raven as she sank to her knees.

"You really care, don't you?" asked Cyborg.

"Of course, don't you? He's a part of the team."

"Of course I care, he's basically me brother. But you really care. Like Starfire and Robin care about each other. I saw you take his scrapbook to your room when you met up with us. What happened that night between you two?"

Raven was silent a moment, she had not told the Titans about the conversation she and Beast Boy said. She hadn't told them that they had kissed, that he basically told her he loved her. She had even told them the real reason she had stayed behind, she felt too ashamed. However, Cyborg was like a brother to her, so she told him.

"Wow, Raven, I always knew that the little grass stain had feelings for you, but it looks like you do to." Raven nodded, she had cried a little and was now being hugged by Cyborg. "I won't tell the others if you don't want me to." Raven again nodded. "We'd better get back." Nodding one more time, Raven followed Cyborg out.

Retreating, and giving the family, whom was now joined by the boy they saw earlier, a wide berth, they rejoined Starfire and Robin. "We couldn't find him," Raven said in her monotone, but with her hood pulled up to hide her face. Starfire's face fell and Robin grabbed her hand.

"Did you find a body?" Robin asked.

"No, so let's hope that he got out. Now we just have to track him down," said Cyborg hopefully, "that little green guy can't hide from us."

"I think I know where he'd go," said Raven, who still had her hood covering her face, "he'd go to the Tower if he could. It's home for him, and he'd like to go home."

"That makes sense," said Robin, "but let's try to figure out if there is anybody at the Tower. We have to move carefully; we still aren't trusted, and the people here are definitely not friendly."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Beast Boy awoke the next morning shivering and miserable. It looked like their might be rain, he was hungry, and night spent sleeping on a concrete roof did not bode well for his muscles. Getting up and stretching, he considered what to do. He obviously could not walk through the streets in such a noticeable form, a least not without No Face or at night. He also needed some food. The rest would be sorted out after a good meal. Thus decided, he turned into a bloodhound and made his way through the gutted apartment building that No Face took him to last night. It smelled of waste, rot, and decay. After finding nothing, Beast Boy turned into a raven and made his way out of the littered streets to get his bearings.

He began to fly towards downtown Jump, knowing that is where the food was most likely to be. As he flew, he saw either empty streets or roving gangs of people. Many alleyways had become what looked like the refugee camps that he remembered from the Congo, but for the most part, the main thoroughfares were empty of cars, bikes, or buses. Eventually, he heard gunfire and saw what looked like two rival gangs engaging in a street battle. Swooping down for a closer look, and to see if he could help end it, he saw that the "gangs" were a mix of people from many different age groups, he could swear that he saw kids as young as 7 shooting with more matured gang bangers. He increased his altitude after he was almost shot by a stray bullet.

Eventually, he made it to downtown Jump, which was controlled by a few of the remaining police forces. It appeared that the police had also armed the citizenry. Beast Boy heard the familiar sound of gunfire again, and saw that the police were engaged with a gang. Using an armored SWAT van, the police were attempting to push up a small side road that was being held by an extremely well armed and entrenched gang. A "swoosh" followed by an explosion told Beast Boy that the gang was armed with RPG's. While the police were engaged, Beast Boy turned into a mouse and made his way inside one of the restaurants. He wasn't too picky, but he was still going to try to avoid meat and eggs. However, there was nothing to eat inside the restaurant. Turning into a bloodhound, he sniffed the air looking for some hint of food. Eventually, he smelled bacon. Following the scent, he saw that the smell was emanating from the center of the square, in a little building well guarded by police.

With his stomach rumbling, Beast Boy turned back into a mouse and snuck into the hut. In the back, he found some loaves of bread, eggs, meat, milk, and purified water. The only question was getting some bread and water out of the hut. Quietly opening a window, Beast Boy turned into a condor, picked up a loaf of bread and a bottle of water, and flew out the window. Hearing the commotion, the police outside began shooting, but Beast Boy managed to avoid them and set down on a roof about three blocks away from the hut. Ravenously ripping into the bread, Beast Boy began to eat when he felt a pair of eyes on him. Quickly turning around, ready to fight, he saw a little girl. She wore a mud-splattered dress and held an equally muddy teddy bear tightly in her left hand. Her nose was running, and a pair of brown eyes looked hungrily at the loaf of bread in Beast Boy's hand. Knowing that he could not go back to the hut now that the police knew he was there, he tore of a quarter of the loaf for himself. Turning to the girl, he held it out to her, saying to her "Here you go," as he did.

Shyly, the girl approached him. "I won't hurt you, just take it."

At his coaxing, the girl ran up and grabbed it from him. "Where are your parents?" he asked as she tore a piece of bread off and ate it.

At that question, the girl paused long enough to shrug her shoulders. "You don't know? Well, what's your name?" asked Beast Boy persistently.

"Ariana," the girl spoke so softly that even Beast Boy's augmented hearing had to strain to hear her.

"Well, Ariana, I'm Beast Boy," he said friendly.

"I know, daddy said that you were part of the problem. But you seem nice to me."

Beast Boy made a little face at the girl's response, "Thank you, now, where is your daddy?"

"I don't know, people knocked on our door one night, and daddy told mommy to take me and run. We went to the bathroom, and mommy pushed me out of the window. I heard loud bangs in my house, and I was too scared to go back."

After hearing this, Beast Boy's hands clenched. "Where are you staying now, Ariana?"

"I stay with Nana." After saying this, she stood up, holding the rest of the bread. Beast Boy also stood up, and said, "We should take you back to her, she must be worried."

"She is busy with the others, she won't miss me." Nevertheless, the girl still seemed to accept what Beast Boy said and walked down the roof as he followed her. Two floors down, the girl went inside, and Beast Boy followed. Eventually, they reached a room at the end of the floor. Beast Boy could hear the sound of children crying in the room. The girl knocked and, after awhile, the door was opened by an old lady.

"Ariana, where have you been?" the lady said. When she saw Beast Boy, her eyes narrowed, "Ariana get inside."

Oblivious to the lady's glaring at Beast Boy, the little girl said, "This is a nice person, Nana, he gave me bread and brought some back to share. I ate some, I hope that is OK, I was just so hungry"

Smiling benevolently down at the girl, Nana said, "That's fine dear, I'm so glad you thought of the rest of us, now come on in and set the bread down on the table, I'll divide it for the rest of us." Turning to Beast Boy, she said, "I suppose I should thank you. However, I still want you to leave."

Unable to contain himself, Beast Boy said, "Look, it's not my fault, or the other Titan's fault this happened. It's No Face and what he did."

"But could you have stopped him?" asked the lady, "we just want to be left alone, by you, by No Face, by the police, by the gangs. We want things to go back to normal. I've taken in 7 children, I have basically no food, and we're always hungry. I don't know, or care, if you colluded with No Face, all I know is that you are costumed vigilante's, and he is to, and that whatever you guys wanted to do obviously didn't work. Now please go."

"Just one thing, ma'am, and then I'll leave," said Beast Boy, using his hand to hold the door open, "unlike No Face, the Titans have a line, and we will not cross it. We only seek to do good by doing good, not do bad to do good or promote ourselves above the law. Now, here's some water, it's purified. Give it to the kids. Just remember: I wish to do the same about of good that you are doing here." With that, Beast Boy handed her the remaining water and walked away.

He could feel the anger rising in him: anger at the people of the city for not supporting the Titans, anger at the gangs for causing the misery, anger at the police for being stupid, but especially anger at No Face. He wanted to destroy him, that smug, arrogant son of a bitch. He was the proximate cause of this, him and his "superman" ideas. The rub of it was that there was no effective authority for containing No Face, if Beast Boy ever did catch him, not that Beast Boy especially felt like turning No Face over to the police. If he ever caught him…perhaps he'd use the Beast. Yeah, he thought, the Beast, the Beast would destroy him, would rip him to shreds. At the thought, Beast Boy smiled: a grim, angry smile.

At that point, No Face's words came back to him. His urging for Beast Boy to accept the Beast, to become the Beast, to unleash the Beast. "No!" shouted Beast Boy aloud, "I won't do it, I won't become an animal, even if it is to destroy scum like No Face, even if he deserves it…" at this Beast Boy trailed off, confused. He felt the Beast wanting to come out, he was once again at war with himself.

It was at this point that a gang stepped out of an alleyway, attracted by his shouting. "Well, well boys, what do we have hear?" asked the leader, a gangly youth of about 18, "It looks like one of those sniveling, fucking Titans. And look, it's the green fucking freak, let's kill it."

Turning to face them, Beast Boy gave a snarl of rage. Knowing that if he fought while he was struggling with the Beast, he would become the Beast and probably kill the gang, he turned and ran off, morphing into a hawk in order to fly away. Still fighting internally, he set a course for Titan's Tower, hoping that it was deserted so that he could collect his thoughts in a familiar setting.

* * *

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed the story so far, it has been much appreciated. We're almost at the end, I'm thinking 2, maybe 3, more chapters.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Beast Boy flew through a broken window into Titans Tower. The building had been vandalized since his arrest and the Titan's retreat. It was dark in the tower, as it was cloudy outside and the power was no longer working. Walking through the hallways, he saw graffiti on the walls, attacking the Titans. In addition, it looked like everyone's room had been entered and ransacked. A quick peek into Cyborg's room showed that he was missing a lot of his tech, and Raven's room was trashed, with books scattered and ripped all over the place. This made Beast Boy feel sad, Raven loved those books, and seeing them destroyed made him feel that he had lost, not just another family, but also the most important person in his life. Feeling anger and loneliness well up inside him, Beast Boy wanted to cry and destroy everything at the same time. Taking a moment to calm himself down, he continued to walk downstairs.

Before reaching the common room, his animal sense smelled fresh blood. Pushing the doors open, he saw the bodies of what remained of the Hive Five scattered throughout the room. There had obviously been a battle, as fresh scorch marks and tossed furniture attested to. See-more had, a bit ironically, been shot through the eye; Gizmo was also shot, numerous times, as was Mammoth. Billy Numerous had been knifed, and Kid Wykkyd looked like his neck was broken. However, Beast Boy, who had seen worse, was not as affected as he usually was. In fact, he just walked right past the carnage to check the refrigerator.

"When did I become so jaded?" he thought to himself, "This isn't like me at all. They're people, this isn't right. I bet the bastard No Face did this." At this, Beast Boy returned to struggling with his inner anger. Everything was No Face's fault, the chaos in the city, the crime, the destruction of innocence and the glory of violence. The world would be a better place if No Face was destroyed. Jail couldn't hold him, it hadn't held any other super villain, destroying No Face was entirely justifiable, if not downright the right thing to do.

A loud snap brought Beast Boy out of his thoughts. Looking down, he saw that he had broken the handle to the refrigerator, and that the refrigerator was empty. Sighing, and still angry, Beast Boy decided to go to the roof. He liked the roof. It was usually quiet, and, as an animal, he liked the elevation. In addition, the sun usually warmed the roof, but not today, it was cloudy, and Beast Boy hoped it wouldn't rain. Even if it did, he still considered going to the roof—it had to smell better than the rest of the tower.

Since the elevator wasn't working, Beast Boy had to walk up the stairs. He couldn't help but look out each window at each floor as he passed them. Each time he did, he was met by the fact that he was truly alone, and that everything that he had held dear was gone. Each floor suffered significant damage, carpets destroyed, walls defaced, objects thrown about, a couple of the floors even looked like they had suffered fire damage. Finally, he reached the door that led to the roof. Pushing it open, he breathed in some of the outside air. Out on the ocean, it was always cleaner than the city, a little more refreshing—not that he didn't like the air of the city, it was exciting, full of unknown smells and tastes, but the ocean air, it was calming, refreshing. Especially now, the air of Jump City was sulfuric and acrid; it reflected the chaos and destruction that the city was wallowing in. Beast Boy felt a little happiness for the first time in awhile.

"So here we are again," said a familiar voice.

"You!" whirling around, Beast Boy saw No Face staring at him. Anger, rage, hurt all welled up in Beast Boy, and the great internal struggle between him and the Beast started to rage.

"Yes, me. I take it you saw my handiwork downstairs?" asked No Face in a casual voice, "I figured you would be more aware after seeing that, but I guess not. Have you become use to violence, Beast Boy?"

"No, maybe, I don't know," as usual, No Face's questions threw Beast Boy off. "I've thought about your offer."

"It wasn't an offer, I'm not giving you anything. It is your choice; it has always been your choice." As No Face said this, the sky got much darker as storm clouds gathered overhead.

"Well, then I choose to shut you up!" With that, Beast Boy morphed into an ox and proceeded to charge No Face. No Face dodged and jumped on top of an air conditioning unit. Beast Boy geared up for another charge when a sound stopped him. No Face was laughing. It was a cold, maniacal laughter, with not a hint of mirth in it. Laughing all the time, No Face reached into his overcoat and pulled out a revolver. At the same time, a lightening bolt lit up the sky and the boom of thunder was heard.

"Yes, Beast Boy, this is the time to make your choice. Shut me up! Hahahaha!" Leaping into the air, still laughing, No Face shot off two shots. This forced Beast Boy to turn into a mouse to dodge the weapons and make himself a smaller target. "You cannot silence me if you do not use all your strength. I will always return, I will always bounce back."

"Stop laughing you mad bastard!" shouted Beast Boy as he morphed into a bear right behind No Face. As the rain poured down, Beast Boy and No Face fought.

* * *

As Beast Boy and No Face fought on the roof of the tower, the rest of the Titans finally reached the reached the island where the Tower was. Raven had teleported them to the directly across form the island, and Starfire and Robin scouted the island, telling Cyborg and Raven when it safe for them to cross. "What have they done to our home!" wailed Starfire upon entering.

"Dude, are those who I think they are?" asked Cyborg upon seeing the bodies of the Hive Five.

"They are. Do you think it is the work of No Face?" asked Raven as she examined the body of Kid Wykkyd.

"Probably, it is his MO," answered Robin, "alright, we have to assume that No Face is somewhere in the building. Cyborg and I will go to the basement to look for him and turn on the emergency power."

"If we still got any," interrupted Cyborg.

Flashing Cyborg a look, Robin continued, "Starfire, you take this floor. I don't want anything in or out of here. In addition, I want you to barricade the entrance door. We don't want any more intruders. Raven, you take the top few floors. If you see him, call us. Try to contain No Face, but do not engage him, we need to consider him armed and dangerous. Got it? Titans GO!"

With that, he and Cyborg began to make their way to the basement while Starfire picked up the couch and placed it in front of the door. Raven phased through the ceiling to the next floor.

* * *

Beast Boy stood panting on the roof, blood coming out of a wound in his shoulder where No Face had grazed him. No Face, rain dripping off the rim of his fedora, tossed his empty revolver away. Beast Boy mentally congratulated himself on avoiding any serious wounds from the gun. No Face had spent the battle dodging and shooting, while Beast Boy had tried numerous animals in an attempt to catch him.

"I told you," yelled No Face over the pounding rain, "you cannot beat me if you hold back. I do not fear you in any form, and will not stop until I have defeated you. You must mean it, you must want to destroy me, otherwise you cannot." Beast Boy just shook his head, he wouldn't kill this man, somehow, he knew, it would bring about what No Face wanted. "Why can't you kill me?" asked No Face, displaying the odd ability to read Beast Boy's mind, "are you afraid? Afraid of the Beast, of what's inside you? I've told you, don't be. Accept it and transcend it. As you are now, you are no different from any human, always suppressing his or her true nature. Embrace that nature, and you will be a superman."

"And become like you?" shouted Beast Boy.

"No, become your own superman. It is the chance for you to make your own name. I know you dream of it, I know more about you than you would like to admit, Beast Boy. I know your fears, your struggles. I have driven away everything you hold dear. If you do not embrace the darkness, then this is how you will end up: alone, with your friends, your family, your loved ones running from you or dying around you. You have the power to end your loneliness, supermen are not lonely, Beast Boy. We realize that family, love, and friends are just more silly farces that mask our true nature. In the grand scheme of things, there is only you, and death."

"No, I cannot abandon my friends, I cannot abandon Raven."

"But they will abandon you, they have abandoned you. You are alone. The only thing that will always be with you is the Beast. Accept it, embrace it, become it. Beast Boy, I have done all this to you; hate me, and let that hate spill over. If you do not stop me now, I will throw as much of the world into chaos as I can, and upon your head will be the blood of the innocent." With that, No Face pulled out a wicked looking knife and charged at Beast Boy. Beast Boy just stood in the corner with his head down, the rain dripping off his hair. He could feel the Beast surge within him. The anger, the hate he felt for No Face was crashing down on him in waves. Looking up, he saw No Face upon him, and tried to dodge. He felt a scorching pain in his left arm as No Face's knife tore through it.

"You cannot win; you are weak. If you cannot accept your strength, then I will take it from you, you pathetic, spineless, green freak. You thought you were loved, you are not. If you are loved, where are they, where are your pathetic friends? They abandoned you. They abandoned you to jail, to the mob, to me. Face it, if they loved you, where are they? Where is Raven? Love is not strong enough to beat back the primal instincts of humanity, now give up yours for a greater strength."

Beast Boy still hadn't moved, he just stood with his head down as No Face charged in for the killing blow. "Perhaps he's right," said a voice in his head, "he is a miserable bastard, we should kill him, then we will hunt down those betraying sons of bitches that called themselves friends and kill them."

"But, they're my friends," said another voice, "and I love them, especially Raven—I love Raven."

"Love is weak, friendship is pathetic. If they loved you, then they wouldn't have let this happen to you. You are always the butt of their jokes, the unwanted, annoying one. You are a freak, now become a powerful freak."

"But…" "But nothing, it is now our time to make the rule."

With a sudden roar, Beast Boy shot a claw out at the charging No Face. "So, you have embraced the Beast," he said while examining a tear in the front of his trench coat as the Beast loomed in front of him, bloodied and angry, "now, two supermen can battle." With that, the two foes charged together as the skies itself roared with the sound of the battle.

* * *

Raven was almost to the roof. Due to the magical defense she had put on the outside of the tower, she couldn't phase through it. Walking up the dark stairwell that led to the door of the roof, she thought she heard voices. Pausing, she chalked the sound up to thunderstorm. When she reached the door, she heard a roar. Shocked, she realized that the roar was from the Beast. Beast Boy had to be out on the roof, as the Beast. In a panic, and worried about her beloved, she pushed open the door and ran out into the pouring rain. What she saw drew her up short. Beast Boy, as the Beast stood over No Face. A knife was buried deep into the Beast's side, causing it to bleed heavily. The Beast had a claw to the throat of No Face, and it looked like it was about to slice his neck open. Both combatants stopped and looked at Raven as another lightening bolt illuminated the scene. Moving quickly, No Face flung his arm out to point at Raven. She saw a glint of steel in her hand, and saw that he was pointing a small pistol at her.

"Don't move," No Face said calmly to Raven, "or I'll blow your head off." Still facing her, he addressed Beast Boy, "You have two choices, kill me and save the girl you love, or don't kill me and allow me to kill her." Inside Beast Boy's head a war was going on. When he had jumped on No Face, forcing him to the ground, he almost killed him on the spot. However, something in him wouldn't allow the Beast to do it. Deep down, Beast Boy was still in control, and he would not allow the Beast to break the cardinal rule of not killing.

"Raven, you came back for me," he thought, "but why did you have to get caught up in the middle of this. I cannot let him kill her, I have to kill him."

"But then, you would become like him," inwardly, Beast Boy shivered. He knew that as soon as he delivered the coup de grace, there was no going back. He could not be who he is once the Beast had tasted blood.

"Even if I have to leave, or get sent to jail, I have to save Raven," the thought caused the Beast to press down on No Face's throat a little harder.

"That's it Beast Boy, let the Beast have blood, that's what he's been howling for," No Face let out another chuckle, "you know that is the only way to get rid of me, and the threat I pose to her, and your world."

"Beast Boy, don't do it. Remember what we talked about. Don't lose your humanity over me," seeing the Beast still pressing his claw down on No Face's throat, she continued, "I love you Beast Boy. I would rather die loving you then live knowing that you sacrificed your humanity."

"She may say that," gasped No Face, "but you won't be happy knowing that you let her die. Gone on, Beast Boy, let out all of your anger and kill me. I'm going to give you five seconds before I pull the trigger: five…"

Beast Boy looked at Raven, and her violet eyes implored him to do the right thing, to remain human for her sake.

"four…"

Beast Boy looked at the No Face. He truly hated the man, and the Beast growled at him to finish him. He would save Raven; he would end an evil; but what would he become?

"three…"

Thunder barked across the sky, as rain dripped off of Beast Boy and down No Face's fedora. Raven was also drenched. I have to decide, thought Beast Boy urgently.

"two…"

Lightening illuminated the gun, a little derringer pistol. Beast Boy looked at Raven, then at No Face, and he made his decision.

"one…"

With a crack that sounded like thunder, the pistol went off. For a second, no one moved. Raven closed her eyes, expecting to feel a lot of pain. But she was smiling, knowing that Beast Boy had done the right thing. When she didn't feel anything, she opened her eyes. In front of her, kneeled the Beast, panting and whining in pain. Shocked, she looked at No Face who was now standing. "You shot him! You…you…" a moan from Beast Boy stopped her. She ran to him and began to apply pressure to the bullet wound.

"I see he made his choice," mused No Face as Raven ignored him, trying to save Beast Boy.

A flash of lightening caused Raven to look up, and she saw that No Face had gone. Not caring anymore, she looked down to see that the Beast had morphed back to Beast Boy. His eyes were close, and he was a pale green.

"Stay with me Beast Boy," Raven mumbled as she tried to the small wound in his chest. However, she knew that if the wound was fatal, there was nothing she could do.

"Raven…" Beast Boy moaned, "I'm sorry that you had to be caught up in that."

"You idiot," Raven said as tears formed in her eyes, "you idiot, why did you have to do that?" She was sobbing now. Beast Boy reached up and cupped her face with a hand, "I did that because that was the only way to save you that would save me. Stop crying, Raven, please stop."

Raven tried, she really did, but she could only manage a watery smile at the changeling as tears continued to pour down her face, mingling with the rain. That was the last thing Beast Boy saw before he passed out.


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

Beast Boy awoke with a groan, everything hurt. He blinked a bit to adjust his eyesight to the streaming filters of sun that were coming through the broken window to his left. He felt the constriction of bandages on his arms and torso.

"Where am I," he asked, more to himself than anybody.

"The infirmary," he recognized the voice, as Raven came from somewhere behind him, adjusting his IV to sit beside him. She sat in front of the window, and the incoming light formed a halo around her head. She blushed a bit as he stared, "What are you looking at?" she finally asked.

"My angel," Beast Boy said, blushing as well. Raven reached out and grabbed his hand.

"It was touch and go for awhile; you've been out for a week," she said, worry still showing in her face.

"What happened to No Face?" asked Beast Boy, worry now entering his face.

Raven sighed, "We haven't seen or heard from him in a long time. He escaped after he shot you," Raven looked up a bit and she looked weary, "a lot has changed since that fight on the roof, Beast Boy. Robin dressed in a suit and made his way to see the mayor. It took a long time and a lot of talking, but he convinced the mayor to let us help clean up the mess No Face made. After that, the people will decide whether they want us here or not. I don't know what will happen; they still don't trust us. The others say they get horrible looks, even from the police."

Beast Boy reached up to brush back a strand of hair that had fallen across Raven's face. "It doesn't matter what happens, Raven, we have each other," then Beast Boy gave Raven a sly look, "have you been watching over me this whole week?"

Raven nodded and reached up and grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek, "I have been afraid that I lost you. After you pushed me into the portal, I thought you were dead. But on that roof, I realized that I also fear losing you as I know you. Beast Boy, I love you as you. If you had killed No Face, and had become the Beast, I would've lost you as surely as if you had died."

"But I didn't Rae, I fought the Beast off. It's alright now."

Raven closed her eyes, and Beast Boy could see tears threatening to spill. "It's not over; the Beast is still inside you. No Face was right about that, you will always have to fight the Beast. Beast Boy, please promise me that you will do everything possible in order to contain him!"

"Of course Rae," Beast Boy smiled up at Raven, "I love you, and I promised you that I would always be with you. That means controlling the Beast." Raven smiled down at Beast Boy after he said that. Gently, he pulled her head down and the two shared a passionate kiss.

* * *

"Awww, will ya look at that!" Cyborg said to Starfire and Robin outside the infirmary, "Now I've seen all my closest friends hook up!" He smiled at the blushing couple. The two had become almost inseparable, and their relationship had grown significantly.

"I am glad that we were able to save friend Beast Boy. He and Raven make a cute couple, am I right, Robin?" asked Starfire as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Yes, I'm glad we got to the roof when we did. We also should thank his resilience. But it was close, even for him. However, it looks like he'll pull through, which means that we are all back together now," said Robin with a smile. However, another thought seemed to enter his head at the same moment, "Hopefully, once we fix the mess No Face left, the people will once again trust us."

Seeing her boyfriend in such anguish, Starfire gave him a loving squeeze. "Robin, they will trust us again. We are not the bungorf No Face, we do not kill, we do not cause chaos."

"Star's right, Robin, the people have to see that we are not the bad guys. We will re-earn their trust," added Cyborg, "and if that punk No Face dares to show his face around here again, we'll deal with him."

"Next time, we will stop him. We will not allow such a thing to happen again," agreed Robin.

* * *

Jump City is surrounded by large hills. If a person had looked at a particular hill just south of the city, near Titans Tower, he or she would have seen a lone figure standing on the crest, clad in a light brown fedora and trench coat. The figure had no face, and it just seemed to stare at the tower and the city behind it. After awhile, if a person had stayed, they would have seen the figure turn around and walk away into the valley beyond the hill.

* * *

And thus, it ends. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story, it kept me on the right path and helped me make sure that I was being clear in my writing.

To answer one remark that came up: yes, No Face was partly inspired by Rorschach. However, No Face does not believe in morality or good or evil, unlike Rorschach. It is more an aesthetic inspiration.


End file.
